Padres Reportedly Want Jarren Darren; Should Red Sox Trade All-Star?

A Boston Red Sox All-Star and fan-favorite in his prime has suddenly emerged as a surprise trade chip.

Boston entered Monday with a 29-32 record, 8.5 games back of the American League East-leading New York Yankees. The Red Sox have had a disappointing season thus far, especially given their loaded roster and consensus preseason projection as contenders.

If the mediocrity continues throughout June for Boston, the franchise might choose to sell before the Major League Baseball trade deadline on July 31. And a brand new report from The Athletic’s Dennis Lin speculated that the Red Sox could even toy with trading Jarren Duran, as the San Diego Padres are expressing keen interest.

“As the Padres face … glaring holes at the bottom of their lineup, their list of trade targets again includes Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, league sources told The Athletic,” Lin wrote.

“The Padres expressed interest in Duran ahead of the 2024 season, before veteran left fielder Jurickson Profar and then-rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill joined Duran as first-time All-Stars. Now, an underwhelming Red Sox team might consider Duran expendable; outfielder Roman Anthony remains tantalizingly close to Boston, and a restless fan base has been clamoring for the arrival of the sport’s consensus No. 1 prospect.”

“Whether the Padres possess enough trade capital to acquire Duran … is another question. Duran, who can play multiple outfield positions … has not been as productive in 2025, but the 28-year-old is making only $3.75 million and remains under club control through 2028. The Padres still boast a pair of top-50 prospects in shortstop Leo De Vries and catcher Ethan Salas, but the organization’s farm system has been thinned out over the past few years by a slew of win-now trades.”

Even if the Padres were able to put together an enticing package, trading Duran would be a shocking move from the Red Sox’s perspective. This is a guy who was the team’s best player in 2024 and has entrenched himself in the fabric of the organization already.

Lin’s musings on Roman Anthony are interesting, but not ultra-realistic. Everyone has assumed that Ceddanne Rafaela would be the outfielder traded to make space for Anthony if a deal did indeed need to happen (it probably doesn't, as Rafaela is expected to move to the infield). From a Red Sox fan’s perspective, the long-awaited arrival of Anthony would be tainted to a degree if it were to happen in tandem with a Duran departure.

Given Duran’s age, awesome contract, 2024 production, and importance to the Red Sox’s culture, Boston would be foolish to cut ties with Duran unless a historic offer came along. A package comprised of De Vries and Salas would be spicy, but remember that Boston is in win-now mode with guys like Duran, Rafael Devers, and Alex Bregman (assuming he stays past 2025) at the heights of their powers.

The Red Sox already have enough young players in the Big 3 (as well as Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu) to blend with their prime-aged stars. Boston should hold onto Duran when the Padres come calling.

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